NL

Moving towards

Freedom

Lokah Samastah Sukhino Bhavantu

About me

Malou Koldenhof - Teaching Yoga, Pranayama (breathwork) and Meditation

Like so many of us, I found myself in a life I never wished for but which had somehow developed into being. I started visiting yoga classes without any background knowledge of the vast and rich yoga tradition.

Practicing yoga changed me, or maybe even more accurately: I started to become more aware and closer to my authentic self. By practicing yoga and meditation I moved towards a freedom I didn’t even realise existed.

Yoga has profoundly changed my life, helped me through hard times, and stimulated healing. I love sharing my journey and teaching yoga in the hope it will be just as helpful to others as it’s been for me.

"I teach and practice yoga because it is so much more than exercise"

Stress & burn-out prevention/healing

We all experience stress, but when we experience too much stress for too long, we will suffer. Whether you are already burned out or have noticed too much stress in your life, yoga can offer a path to relaxation and repair. Practising yoga can reduce levels of stress and anxiety in the body (lowering cortisol and returning to a calmer state). But perhaps even more importantly, yoga creates self-awareness, which we need to understand our own needs for rest. In yoga, we can explore the underlying causes of stress and work on solutions in a safe space, before taking them off the mat.

Healing from trauma

Unfortunately, most of us will experience trauma in our lifetime, whether we are aware or not. One of the issues associated with trauma is a disconnection from our own body, and yoga can be a tool to regain awareness of our bodily sensations as well as our emotional state. In yoga, we use movement, breathing, and meditation to calm the nervous system, which is essential when healing from trauma. Practicing yoga can be a safe space to explore and move through the emotions associated with trauma. It can also be a place to figure out how and what trauma is stored in our body and how to release it.

Moving towards authenticity

Sometimes we get stuck in life, unsure about what to do next. We might feel like this life isn't quite it, but we don't yet know the next step. It's something I struggled with for years when my initial goals didn't make me happy. One of the reasons we struggle so much to make decisions is because we've lost connection with ourselves. The awareness we cultivate through yoga can bring us closer to our authentic selves, our inner voice, and intuition. Decision-making becomes easier when we are mindful, present, and able to distinguish societal pressure/expectations from our true inner wishes.

Book yoga classes

Book privates

You can contact me to book private yoga, breathwork and meditation classes. Or you can book holistic coaching sessions for stress and burn-out. Currently I'm located in Siem Reap, Cambodia. Private classes can be done online or in Siem Reap.

Join Group classes

I'm currently teaching in Siem Reap, Cambodia. You can join my classes at Yoga Space or Reservoir Hotels. Next to that you can book me as a teacher to provide group classes. My preferred styles are Hatha and Vinyasa.

Online courses

I'm working on creating a holistic course on stress and burn-out, with yoga as an essential tool for healing. This course will become available in late 2024.

Blog

Finding the middle way in Cambodia

Walking through the temple grounds, I found myself mesmerised by the murals narrating the life of the Buddha. Each intricate detail seemed alive, radiating wisdom. One mural, in particular, held me spellbound: the Buddha seated beneath the Bodhi tree, emaciated from severe fasting

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Love and light (and darkness)

As I closed my eyes, a mixture of past dark memories and unfamiliar dark images appeared. I felt like I was doing something wrong. How had I once enjoyed meditation, considering it moments of calmness, clarity, and safety? Why couldn’t I meditate anymore?

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Moving to Thailand and exploring guilt

Riddled with fear I wondered how I was gonna break the news to my family, loved ones, workplace and volunteering commitments. This wouldn’t be my first time relocating across borders and I remembered the guilt I used to feel during the years I

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